barbaric

adjective

bar·​bar·​ic bär-ˈber-ik How to pronounce barbaric (audio)
-ˈba-rik
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a group of people who are alien to another land, culture, or people and who are usually believed to be inferior : of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
b
: possessing or characteristic of a cultural level more complex than primitive (see primitive entry 1 sense 2c) culture but less sophisticated than advanced civilization (see civilization sense 1a)
2
a
: marked by a lack of restraint : wild
a barbaric use of color
b
: having a bizarre, primitive, or unsophisticated quality
… I sound my barbaric yawp …Walt Whitman
the tangled, loose barbaric magnificence of the Elizabethan dramaThink
3
: barbarous sense 3
barbaric crimes
barbarically adverb

Examples of barbaric in a Sentence

Barbaric tribes invaded the area. His table manners are barbaric. They considered the custom barbaric. The treatment of the prisoners was positively barbaric.
Recent Examples on the Web Now is the perfect time to end the barbaric practice of forcing peaceful people not to work. Tj Hutchinson, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024 The execution scene had a clinical vividness, yet the barbaric politics of the death penalty remained an abstraction. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 Her new translation is inviting to modern readers, but doesn’t capture the barbaric world of the original. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2023 Once the stigma against cannabis is removed entirely, people being put in jail for cannabis charges will be a barbaric thing of the past. Red Rodriguez, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2023 The procedure, commonly performed for decades but now deemed barbaric and unnecessary by pet owners and some veterinarians, is banned in many parts of the world and also in several cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Denver. Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barbaric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of barbaric was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near barbaric

Cite this Entry

“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbaric. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

barbaric

adjective
bar·​bar·​ic bär-ˈbar-ik How to pronounce barbaric (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
2

More from Merriam-Webster on barbaric

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